SKYTROOPERS

BLACKKNIGHTS 4

SKYTROOPERS

"Terror from Above....."

Squad pinned down inside a village right before dusk....by the time decisions are made and the word comes down it is dark...your squad saddles up to attempt a rescue...fears and emotions are running high....as the village nears the fears grow deeper....Then....at tree top level coming in on both flanks are two Cobras converging on the point....drawing the enemy fire....fears ease as it is business as usual in Cav country.....

A 2/5 AIR CAV

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

The Cav was like no other unit anywhere in the world...then and now........Our mobility overwhelmed Charlie and even gave us a few surprises....We were capable of engaging the enemy.....Anywhere......and surrounding him before anyone knew what was going on....but to me...the true beauty laid in this fact......Charlie knew if he engaged us....in ten minutes ....or less...the sky was going to fall upon him....And fall it did.....Gunships.....Cobras....F-4's..100's....Artillery.....Willie Peter....Napalm....B-52"s and the ocassional 16" from a battleship....

From provience to provience...firebase to LZ's...the highways...hills...valleys and beaches...We swept...and we swept....spending alot of time in the air and looking forward to it...above the clouds was a better place to be.....calm...peaceful...quiet...safe.....you could actually dream and imagine without the fear of a snippers bullet or a pungi pit....a wait a minute vine or a 2 step charlie.....a break from the heat and humidity.... and the smell.....Above the clouds we were free....free from the nightmares below and closer to our fallen brothers......

With all our overwhelming and superior firepower.....our artillery and support units.....dusters and Quads....There was one place that fear was the superior ...hands down.....The Night.....the worst time of the day...
Back in the world fear of the dark is common.....no real big deal......we check the closets.....look under the bed.....leave a night lite on......close the door and drift asleep.....In Nam it was elevated to a whole new level of monsters and boggymen.....

we got to get out of this place.1.jpg

Dig your hole...cut a field of fire....lay out the trips and claymores....get in the hole and stay put till dawn...and I do mean "Stay Put"....Most encounters with the enemy were unseen...someone would open up and the rest would fire at that spot....this was in the daylight...at night it was almost impossible to see charlie until it was to late....and that alone was enough to scare any man......

The hours go by ever so slow.....will morning ever come....will there even be another morning....a single night in the boonies is an eternity of fear....you adjust to the hardships.....the physical challenges of Nam...but the night......never....and each one....the shorter you got....brought a new fear......

An 11Bravo during WWII in the Pacific islands averaged 40 days of combat in 4 years....An 11Bravo in VietNam averaged 240 days of combat in one year...

I was never into the numbers till I started this....They are truly unbelievable....We droped more bombs on Nam then they did on all the islands in the Pacific during WW2....You want heroes.....Thats these guys....the world would be different without them...I know mine would..Their sheer courage...determination...unselfesness....

This is what legends are made of.....These guys meant business...you better beleive it.....and that was our edge.....

With our mobility we could strike anywhere....without mercy.....and that's just what we did....Quang Tri..Hue..Khe San..Ashall Valley...DMZ...On twenty-four hour notice...the Cav moved 570 miles by land...air and sea without missing a beat....in one provence one second then gone...only to reappear and reak more havoc upon charlie in a different area....To charlie....we just simply disappeared.....

The problem with mobility.........you are sent everywhere as the cav can attest to....We fought in every corps. area in Nam.....Whenever a unit was in trouble or having a tough time...or intel finds a hot spot...General Westmorland sent the Cav.....and we did the job.....too often the price was too high and paid by our brothers.... but that was our job.....like it or not...we did it well.......

Sit in your hole.....listen to the sounds and the silence of the jungle.....you stare intently into the dark and thats when it happens.....your mind takes over......plays tricks on your eyes......you imagine the worst possible terror.....the thoughts keep coming and none of them are good......

There were many heroes in Nam...then again...they all were heroes.from the grunt in the bush to the supply sgt. in Da Nang...the cook on the ship off coast and the guys in the sky.....Heroes one and all.....the desk jockey in Long Bien....donut dollies and USO troops....you kept everyone going....the priests...ministers and the doctors.....again....heroes one and all.....I salute you and all the brothers and sisters that did the job most did not want.....

I'm so short.....I need a stepladder to reach the piss tube.....!!

U. S. FLAG

I was born on June 14th, 1777
I am more than just cloth shaped into a design.
I am the refuge of the World's oppressed people.
I am the silent sentinel of Freedom.

I am the emblem of the greatest sovereign nation on earth.
I am the inspiration for which American Patriots gave their lives and fortunes.
I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to the bloody swamps of
Viet Nam.

I walk in silence with each of your Honored Dead, to their final resting place
beneath the silent White Crosses, row upon row.
I have flown through Peace and War, Strife and Prosperity, and amidst it all I
have been respected.

My Red Stripes
symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation.
My White Stripes
signify the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons.
My Blue Field
is indicative of God's heaven under which I fly.
My Stars
clustered together, unify 50 States as one, for God and Country.

"Old Glory"
is my nickname, and proudly I wave on high.
Honor me, respect me, defend me with your lives and your fortunes.
Never let my enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return.
Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy.
Worship Eternal God and keep His commandments, and I shall remain the
bulwark of peace and freedom
for all mankind.

"I Am Your Flag."

I'm so short.....I can jump off the edge of a quarter and scream AAAAHHHHHHhhhhhh....all the way down.....!!